Mondays Stink! Hong Kong Air Pollution Reaches “Unhealthy” High

Many people would agree that on the whole, Mondays stink, but with this morning’s air pollution reaching a level five times worse than Beijing, Hong Kongers have even more reason to think so.

According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), the air pollution level in Hong Kong hit an “unhealthy” score of 192, compared to a score of only 34 in Beijing, which they categorise as “good.”

At the time of writing, the score has dropped only slightly to 190, with the department continuing to warn of potential health effects and advising the general public, in particular those with respiratory disease such as asthma, to avoid prolonged outdoor exertion. Schools in Discovery Bay even took steps to cancel outdoor activities today in order to protect their students.

What’s perhaps more shocking, however, is that despite these alarming figures, Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department is reporting pollution levels as “moderate”, much to the dismay of many Hong Kongers who immediately took to social media to share their disgust and upload their smoggy shots to the #pollution hashtag.

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Although Tuesday is forecast to remain much the same, it is expected that pollution levels will improve towards the middle of the week, with a few patches of rain on the horizon, and temperatures dropping on Friday.

In the meantime, it might not be a bad idea to keep your windows closed, your air filters on, and catch up on your Netflix binge-watching.